Hercules
His camp |occupation = Dock worker |relatives = seefamily |species = Demigod |haircolor = Brown |eyecolor = Brown |portrayedby = Jonathan Whitesell |firstmention = The Evil Queen |onlyappearance = Labor of Love}} Hercules, also known as Herc, is a character on ABC's Once Upon a Time. He débuts, with his only appearance, in the thirteenth episode of the fifth season and is portrayed by guest star Jonathan Whitesell. Hercules is based on Heracles from Greek Mythology, and on the character of the same name from the Disney film Hercules. History Before attempting the twelfth task, slaying Cerberus, Hercules saves Snow White from a hunter trap. They tell each other of their plights, and Hercules encourages the princess to stop the bandit Dead Eye from attacking her kingdom and prove herself as a capable ruler to her people. When Snow White insists that she is not a hero, he decides to train her with his bow and arrow, encouraging her with the story of how fearful he was before battling the Nemean Lion. As Hercules teaches her how to hold a bow, he flirts with her, stating that he's using this as an excuse to enjoy the little time he has left, before he goes to Mount Olympus, by spending it with her. After some training, the pair heads to a village where the bandits are attacking, and Snow White threatens Dead Eye with her new archery skills as Hercules watches on. However, she quickly loses her bravado, after spilling all her arrows from her quiver. When Dead Eye threatens her with his sword, Hercules punches the ground with his fist, triggering a brief earthquake, to force the bandit into leaving. Miserable over this defeat, Snow White loses hope, but Hercules tries again to encourage her. He tells her the true story of how he defeated the Nemean Lion, that it was entirely by accident, yet it was through failing that he won. This time, when the princess confronts the bandits, she is able to knock Dead Eye's sword out of his hand with a single arrow. She threatens to do the same to the other bandits, and with the armed villagers backing her up, Dead Eye and his allies retreat. Before leaving to battle Cerberus, Hercules asks Snow White to come with him, but she opts to stay and look out for her kingdom. Proud over her success, he concludes that, one day, she will be a great queen. The two friends, having mutual feelings for each other, say goodbye to each other with a kiss. Shortly after, Hercules finds Cerberus chasing a girl. He tells her to run before he faces the beast himself, but he dies due to Cerberus' other two heads striking him when he tries to attack one. Due to never finishing the Twelve Labors, and also being unable to save the girl, who dies shortly after him, Hercules is sent to the Underworld, where he begins working at the docks sorting boat parts. }} }} Family ---- Trivia |-|Character Notes= Character Notes *"Hercules" is actually the name used in Roman mythology, while Greek Mythology uses the name Heracles. Interestingly, Hercules' gravestone inn the Underworld reads HERCVLES.File:513You.png On stone inscriptions in Ancient Rome, the U/V letters were both written like the letter V. This is because Latin did not originally have separate letters V and U. Instead, the letter V represented both, and could be pronounced as a consonant like "w" (as in "well") or as a vowel like "oo" (as in "good"). |-|Production Notes= Production Notes *The casting call describes him as "a dashing, strapping young man who is single-minded in his pursuit of his destiny: to be the greatest hero who ever lived. All that changes however, when he falls in love with a beautiful princess." |-|Set Notes= Props Notes *Hercules' bowFile:513NotAHero.png is the same prop used for the enchanted bow.File:219Aiming.png *Hercules' medalsFile:513ThisMedal.png show motifs from the Labors of Hercules: The Nemean Lion, the Lernaean Hydra, the Ceryneian Hind, the Erymanthian Boar, the Augean stables, the Stymphalian Birds, the Cretan Bull, the Mares of Diomedes, the girdle of Hippolyta, the cattle of the monster Geryon, and the apples of Hesperides. The final labor, Cerberus, is missing, since Hercules hadn't faced him yet. Appearances Notes: *In the Season Two episode "The Evil Queen", Regina, disguised as Wilma, says to Snow White "You don't know how to do that." and Snow White answers, "Someone from another forest taught me.". "Archive" denotes archive footage. See also *Hercules' Camp *Hercules' Medals References }}nl:Hercules Category:Male Characters Category:Season Five Characters Category:Once Upon a Time Characters